


Voicemail

by Heloflor



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28984821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heloflor/pseuds/Heloflor
Summary: He hasn’t been answering. No matter how many calls, he never answers. Then, maybe hearing a voice might change his mind.
Relationships: Balthazar Cavendish/Vinnie Dakota
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s more angst about the whole ‘going rogue’ situation from season 2, because apparently I’m obsessed with it (seriously I wrote two other fics around it, on top of the ones I already posted). This time I tried doing something with a different “style”, going for what’s almost a dialogue-only story.  
> Like in my previous fics, Cavendish and Dakota are an old married couple.  
> Also I don’t live in America so I don’t know what are the automatic messages there; so don’t be surprised if what I wrote is basically a translation from the French version of it.
> 
> WARNING : Near the end, and while it’s not the feeling I wanted to convey for it, there’s one line that can be read as suicidal thoughts. So be aware of that if you’re sensitive to these topics.

_Click_

_The number you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message after the beep._

“…”

_Click_

Vinnie sighed. He lost track on how many times he tried to call. Each time, it rang for a while, making him know that Balth didn’t block his number. But his partner still wouldn’t answer.

_Click_

_The number you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message after the beep._

“…Hey Cav ? It’s Dakota. I…Look, can you call me back ? Can you at least tell me where you are or why you left ? I just- just call me. I need to know that you’re alive.” _Click._

_Click_

“Cavendish ? Please call me. I know your phone isn’t dead. I need to hear you.”

_Click_

“Why aren’t you answering ? What-why did you decide to leave ? Was it my fault ? I know you erased my memory, but why ? What did I do ? Can’t you just stop holding a grudge and tell me ?

Please…”

_Click_

“It’s scary, you know. You’re scaring me. I hope you’re proud of yourself.

I…I can’t sleep at night. I keep thinking of you...Of where you could be. How you might die…

I can’t help it. You died so many times, from so many different ways…

Cav…Balth I-…Please call me.”

_Click_

“Listen Balth. I don’t know why you left, I don’t know what I did, and I don’t know if you’re mad at me or just doing something stupid. But can you at least _talk_ to me ? I went through your stuff and saw that most of it is still here, so I know you’re going to come back.

Unless you want to start a brand-new lif- no. You wouldn’t do that. And if you did, you would’ve warned me.

…

Please call me, Balth. And if you don’t want to tell me where you are, at least tell me when you’ll be back.

I’ll be waiting.”

_Click_

“I’ve been hanging out with Doctor D. I thought you’d want to know. It’s weird. He’s just some weird annoying and childish guy, but he’s also Professor Time. And he’s alone too. His platypus friend was paid to spent time with him or something. We don’t really get along, but it’s better than nothing…It’s better than being alone…

It’s been almost two weeks since you left. I hope you’re doing okay…I’ve been trying to find you. I don’t know if you want me to, but I’m not giving up on you. Whatever reason why you left, I’ll find you. I just hope not to run into a corpse…

…

You know I love you right ? I promised to always be there for you, to stand by your side, to love you until death do us part, remember ? And yeah, I know I cheated on that whole ‘until death’ part but…Look, all I’m saying is, if you left because you’re mad at me or because you did something bad or embarrassing, you can come back. Just come back and we can talk about this. I’m not angry at you.

I just want to see you…

I need to make sure that you’re still alive.”

_Click_

“Two weeks now, and still nothing from you…

I’m starting to think that you lost your phone or something.

…It doesn’t matter, I’m going to find you.

I promise.”

_Click_

“I sprained my leg today. I was eating out with Doctor D when a giant cardboard fell on us. I couldn’t help thinking about you when I went to see a doctor. If you were there, you would have been fretting over it. You always do. Even when I hurt myself stupidly. You always get worried before being angry. I wonder if you’re worried right now. You probably are.

…

I should’ve told you I got severely injured. Maybe _that_ would have made you come back.

…Please be safe, Balth.”

_Click_

“My leg got better. I’m glad it barely took a few days. I don’t know I long I could’ve go on without being able to look for you.

I started asking people around and hanging missing posters, see if anybody saw you, or at least make people know that you’re missing. Though, I don’t know if this will help much. Nobody cares about some old guy missing…

But now that I’m out of a cast, I can go back to look for you.

I’ll see you soon, Balth.

…I hope…”

_Click_

“I left the apartment. I couldn’t stay alone in this place any longer. Every night, I have the same nightmares. I see your previous deaths…

I…I’m scared Balth. I’m terrified of what can happen to you, of what _already_ happened. So please ! Please call me or text me or anything ! Just…please…

…

I’ll be staying with Doctor D. If you come back and look for me, I’ll be at the Murphys’.

…Please come back.”

_Click_

“You know, as annoying as he is, I’m starting to understand how Doctor D can become Professor Time. He showed me a few of his inventions today to try and see if they can help find you. And you know what ? They’re pretty impressive. Of course, they ended up not really helping…but the Professor sure knows what he’s doing.

…I think I’ll keep asking for his help. I _tried_ finding you. Just where on earth _are_ you ?!

Doctor D might be my last chance to find you. I don’t like it, but I don’t have any other choice.”

_Click_

“I told Doctor D how we met today. It gave me a strange sense of nostalgia. Did you know that I hated you guts on that day ? You just seemed like some nerdy jerky killjoy. But you were also pretty cute. And, well, I guess some things never change. And by that I mean the killjoy part. Heh…

…You know, I could never pinpoint the moment when I fell in love with you. I remember we were just hanging out when I realized that I liked you, but I think I fell in love before that. There was just _something_ about you, and it made me want to stick around. I think-…I think I realized that the first time you died. When you did, I felt- it felt like it was the end of the world. I couldn’t believe it- no, I didn’t _want_ to believe it. For a moment, it felt like nothing mattered anymore. But then I saw our car and I just- I _had_ to go back !

I have no regrets. I don’t care how many rules I broke or how much I messed up the timestream. I don’t regret a thing. And if you asked me, I’ll do it all over again.

I love you Balth. Nothing will ever change that. I don’t know if you can hear this message. I don’t even know if you’re still alive or if you even care. But please believe me when I say that I would do anything to see you again.

I don’t care about the consequences.

I need you.”

_Click_

“Four weeks. It has now been four weeks. Four weeks of looking for you. Of having no information, no reply, not a single sign of life from you !

…

I’ve been pretty much everywhere in town. I checked every street, every building, every store. Just where _are_ you ? And how do you manage to survive ?

Unless you didn’-…

I’m starting to think you’re not even in town. Hell, maybe you’re in a completely different state. Or maybe you’re somewhere around Danville or something.

…I have to say, I haven’t looked in the forest much. There’s no way someone can survive for four weeks in the forest, let alone you. And now that I can’t go back in time…

…

I’m scared Balth. I’m really scared. I know I told you a hundred times already, but you have no idea how much this whole thing is getting to me !

I will try looking into the forest, if not for at least finding you corpse. You deserve a real funeral. And I know you’d hate to just have your body lost and forgotten.

…Please tell me I’m making things up. If you’re alive, give me a sign, _anything_. I don’t care if it’s from you or someone else or if it’s you telling me to stop looking for you. I just need _something_ to know you’re still alive. I’m really starting to get desperate here Balth !

I’m going to start looking for you out of town, or even try to reach other towns in the Tri-State-Area. I’m not going to stop until I get a sign from you.”

_Click_

“…

…

…Balth I…

…

…”

_Click_

“…

…

…

…You’re dead, aren’t you ?

…

…

It’s been an entire month now and still nothing. No calls, no texts, no nothing…

…

There’s no way you survived that long. You never survive that long.

…I…it was a dumb idea to send you these calls. I just…I just tried to hold onto something that doesn’t exist.

I just have to face reality. I…I’ll probably never see you again…

…

No.

I don’t want to believe it. I don’t want to stop looking. I don’t think I will ever stop looking. Call me an idiot, a hopeless romantic, I don’t care.

It’s not like I could hear you anyways.

…

…I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep giving myself false hope.

Balthazar, if you hear this, if _somehow_ you’re still alive…I love you. I love you more than anything in the world. I want nothing more than to be by your side right now, to hold you in my arms and never let go.

I hope…I hope one day we’ll be together again. No matter where you might be now, I hope I’ll be able to join you soon enough.

I…

I don’t want to let go…I don’t want to give up like that.

I’m going to keep looking. I _need_ to keep looking. You’ve been alive for a while. Who knows, maybe you’re still alive now.

Oh who am I kidding…

…

I can’t keep doing these calls.

…

…Goodbye Balth. I-…I’ll find you. Or I’ll find your corpse and then I’ll find a way to bring you back. I have to.

…

…

…Goodbye, honey.

I love you.”

* * *

_Beep_

_End of transmission. To listen to this message again, press one._

The phone dropped out of his hands before he could notice. He soon followed suite, his legs giving up. He could feel hot tears running down his cheeks. He tried to suppress it, chocking down his sobs. He tried to cling to the remembrance of why he was there, of what he was doing. But for the moment being, there was no escaping the flood of guilt and regret that washed over him.

_I’m sorry Vinnie_

_I’m so sorry !_


	2. Extra draft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically, when I first wrote “Voicemail”, I wasn’t satisfied with the ending so I started to make something from Cavendish’s point of view that I then thought was too long, given that I wanted the “reveal” that he listened to all the messages to be short. But because I don’t want this work to go to waste, here it is. So this is basically Cavendish reflecting on his actions, with mostly shipping and angst because of course there is. Enjoy !

He still remembered how he felt when he received the last message. He remembered how he fell, drowning in guilt and sorrow. He remembered trying to suppress it, trying to choke down his sobs with his hand, trying to think of the ship, of his objective, of anything else but the man crying on the other side of the line. In that moment, he had known that he couldn’t keep up like this.

When he received the first message, he knew he couldn’t do it. Hearing the love of his life beg for him to come back, sounding more and more desperate with each new call, it was all too much. And yet, everytime he received a new message, he couldn’t help but play it over and over again until the first wave of guilt passed, but also until every word from the other man was engraved in his mind.

He needed Vinnie, just as much as Vinnie needed him. Often, he even found himself considering giving a reply, if only to reassure the other man. But in the end, he knew Vinnie would only try to reach him even more.

He had tried to suppress his emotions. But as his provisions started to run out, as he started to feel the lack of sleep take a toll on him, as his mission went on way longer than he wished, as his feeling of homesickness became worse with every passing day, it started to be more and more difficult to go on. When it started to become unbearable, he tried to speed things up, to bring the ship directly to the people, to use the ship’s controls to find some clue, any clue, of what the aliens were doing.

It sure had backfired tremendously.

He had lost track of how long he had been encased in ice, especially with his inability to see the sky to count the days. At the very least, being stuck like this gave him all the time in the world to reflect on his actions. He often tried to think of the past, of small mistakes he did a long time ago, small things he regretted to do or say. But most often than not, his thoughts drifted to the ship, to the danger for Milo, to his choice to send the kids away and remain alone, to Vinnie who was desperately looking for him. He kept asking himself where did he go wrong and hated that he didn’t have an answer.

Trying to save the abductee was the right thing to do, even if nobody truly ended up captured. It was simply morally right to try. Besides, he now knew that the aliens were about to try again.

Forcing Vinnie to stay behind was the best way to protect him. Vinnie could have easily ended up in his current position, if not worse. If Vinnie were to be hurt by the aliens because of him, he would never forgive himself.

Maybe he should have left with Milo and his friends, or go back to Vinnie the moment he found the ship. But then, he would have never known about the alien’s plan to capture Milo and could have put Vinnie at risk.

There was no way out of this. And now he was stuck, possibly for eternity, due to his own foolish actions. At least Milo and his friends knew where he was. But how long would it take before they get back to help him ? And what about Vinnie ?

Truth be told, he was terrified of how far the man was willing to go for him. He had been ever since he found out about the island. Never in his life had he ever intended to make Vinnie go through so much. And yet here he was, doing it all over again.

Maybe it was for the best that he was stuck here forever. Vinnie deserved much better than him. But at the same time, he knew his husband would never give up on him. He made it painfully clear.

If he was to be stuck here forever, he just hoped that Vinnie could move on.

He deserved to move on.


End file.
